Krayl’s Raspberry Swirl Sweet Rolls

“I have been dying to make this recipe for Raspberry Swirl Sweet Rolls.”

Those were the words from my cousins girlfriend when ask – “What would you make first if you had a brand new Kitchen Aid stand mixer?” Little did I know that I would actually be doing the making…

It started off innocently enough at my Aunt’s house last month while we were visiting, when her sister, another Aunt, brought her a brand new mixer as a hostess gift for staying at her house {yes I have absolutely invited her to my house anytime she wants}.

It was my turn to head to the supermarket for groceries so I pulled up the recipe by Grace Parisi, originally published in Food & Wine in January 2011, and made a list of all the additional ingredients I would need to pick up for her to whip up a batch of these raspberry swirl rolls. Brought all the ingredients back tot he house,proudly laid them out on the counter for her to begin.

The butter softened… for almost a full day when I realized that “dying to make” actually meant “dying for someone else to make and me to eat”. I put the butter back in the fridge – it would have to wait until tomorrow when I was up for a full day of baking.

I have to admit I was a little excited to use the brand new mixer and try a new recipe. It seemed straight forward enough however the active vs inactive aspects of baking rolls or any bread for that matter had me questioning if I really had the commitment necessary to bake while on vacation… maybe Erin was on to something here. Could I convince anyone else in the house to make them for me too??

I was alone in the kitchen so it looked like if I didn’t want the raspberries to go to waste I better roll up my sleeves, put on my apron and get to mixing.

The dough mixing was super easy. I placed in a bowl to let rise. Wait.

The puffy dough was gorgeous and smooth. Roll out the dough. Roll in the raspberries. Cut into sections. Wait some more.

During this second term of waiting, reading my book {The Gold Finch… have you read it yet? I was obsessed during this trip} and lounging in the sunshine was tough work. Don’t try it unattended. A few times I gave the recipe selector a hint or two that at anytime she could feel free to take over…. No response… Back to the kitchen.

By dinner time the rolls were actually ready to go in the oven so in they went in their puffy glory.

There are a few things I would do differently next time {see my notes in the recipe below} but over all I would say if you have a day to spend at home, DO try this at home.

In a small saucepan, warm the milk over moderately low heat. Pour the warm milk into the bowl of a standing electric mixer with the dough hook and stir in the sugar and yeast. Let stand until the yeast is foamy, about 5 minutes. Add the softened butter, eggs, grated lemon zest and sea salt. Add the flour and beat at medium speed until a soft dough forms, about 3 minutes. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the dough is soft and supple, about 10 minutes longer.

Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it with your hands 2 or 3 times. Form the dough into a ball and transfer it to a lightly buttered bowl. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm place until doubled in volume, 1 to 2 hours.

Line the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, allowing the paper to extend up the short sides. Butter the paper and sides of the pan. Using a roling pin roll dough out into a rectangle approximately 10" x 24".

In a medium bowl, cover the frozen raspberries with the sugar and cornstarch.* Spread the raspberries evenly over the dough rectangle. Roll up the dough to form a 24-inch-long log. Cut the log into quarters then cut each quarter into 4 slices. Arrange them in the baking pan, cut sides up. Scrape any berries and juice from the work surface into the baking pan between the rolls. Cover the rolls and let them rise in a warm place until they are puffy and have filled the baking pan, about 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 425°. Bake the rolls for about 25 minutes, until they are golden and the berries are bubbling.** Transfer the pan to a rack to cool for 30 minutes.

For the glaze - whisk the confectioners' sugar with the butter and heavy cream until the glaze is thick and spreadable.

Invert the rolls onto the rack and remove the parchment paper. Invert the rolls onto a platter. Dollop glaze over each roll and spread. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

* The rolls were not very sweet in my, and my families, opinion. If you are looking for sweet rolls, add more sugar to the raspberry mixture before rolling into the dough.

** There was one comment that the rolls seemed dry. They did lean towards bread rather then sweet roll texture. Next time around I would most likely add butter to the interior or dollop some on top before finishing the cooking time.

Adapted from Grace Parisi / Food & Wine January 2011

Adapted from Grace Parisi / Food & Wine January 2011

An Appealing Plan http://anappealingplan.com/

If you try this recipe please tag me using #AnAppealingPlan so I can see it.

Dear Krayl, these look absolutely divine. Never thought to put raspberries in sweet rolls, I’ve always done the traditional cinnamon which is also quite delicious. But raspberries…perfect for weekend brunch. So now I have to check out The Gold Finch of course. Just finished The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd, excellent, can’t wait for book club next week, and next am reading All the Light We Have Not Seen……allie @ Through Her Looking Glass recently posted…Aunt Pinkie’s Famous Fudgy Brownies

HI. I am Krayl, Author of AN APPEALING PLAN. Creator of seasonally inspired spaces, gatherings + recipes. Believer that friends, flowers + the right dishes make a meal taste better.
Take a look around and get inspired to celebrate everyday!
Learn more about Krayl...